OVERLAND PARK, Kan. -- Creighton forward Doug McDermott is one of 30 men’s basketball student-athletes who excel both on and off the court that were selected as candidates today for the 2013-14 Senior CLASS Award® in collegiate basketball.

To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School ®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.

The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2014 NCAA Men’s Final Four®.

Each of the 30 candidate classes will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate who best exemplify excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.

McDermott ranked second nationally in scoring (23.2) and also averaged 7.7 rebounds per game during the 2012-13 season at Creighton. The Ames, Iowa, product led the nation with 284 field goals made and 834 points during a campaign that saw him shoot 54.8 percent from the field, 49.0 percent from three-point range and 87.5 percent at the line. In the process, he became the eighth player league history to win back-to-back MVC Player of the Year accolades, and is the second to win Most Outstanding Player honors at the MVC Tournament twice.

McDermott already owns Creighton records for points (2,216), field goals (811) and three-point percentage (.464), and has also set single-season marks for points (834), three-point percentage (49.0%) and field goals (307) during his time on The Hilltop.

McDermott is the sixth Creighton men's basketball player in the 10-year history of the award to be selected among 30 preseason candidates, joining Kyle Korver (2003), Anthony Tolliver (2007), Dane Watts (2008), Josh Dotzler (2009) and Kenny Lawson Jr. (2011). Korver and Tolliver both reached the final cutdown to 10. Former men's soccer standout Brian Holt is the lone Creighton student-athlete to ever win the award, taking home the 2011 award.

An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award honors the attributes of senior student-athletes in four areas: community, classroom, character and competition. The award program is designed exclusively for college seniors who are utilizing their complete athletic eligibility, remaining committed to their university and pursuing the many rewards a senior season can bring. Premier Sports Management manages the award.

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